Eastern Illinois is the site of the IHSA boys track and field State meet as all six of our area teams, including sectional champions Neuqua Valley, are ready to run in Charleston and end the season on a high note with new times and personal bests. This highlight is sponsored by BMO.
James Ammenhauser first long and triple jump appearance at State
Neuqua Valley jumper James Ammenhauser in the shade before taking his turn. Competing first in the long jumps he leaps 6.78 meters and finishes sixth. Waubonsie Valley’s Brody Squires jumps his way to an 8th place spot on the podium. Parrish Hartley from Kenwood wins it.
Ammenhauser is also doing the triple jump for the first time at State and he jumps his way to a fifth place finish at 13.88 meters. Two All-State honors and some big points for the Wildcats from the senior. Malik Allen from Edwardsville takes the top spot in the triple at 14.87 meters. Jalien Shegog from Metea Valley finishes 12th in the long jump and 9th in the triple for the Mustangs.
Area throwers place on the podium
Evan Sweeny from Metea Valley takes his turn in the discus, competing at State for the first time as a senior, throws a distance of 49.76 meters and takes sixth place to end his Mustang career. Fellow DVC thrower Maverick Ohle entered the season as one of the favorites after finishing in second last year. The junior comes up with a throw of 55.82 meters that stays in bounds by just a couple feet. That lengthy toss is good for first place and a State championship for the Redhawk.
4 by 800 is a tight battle to begin the track battle
Naperville Central’s 4 by 8 group of Samuel Barnard, Julian Brozek, Luke Noren, and Foster Shelbert get off to a good start. Shelbert is the anchor and trails behind Downers Grove North after the final handoff. In the end it’s Hinsdale Central winning the 4 by 8 championship ahead of Downers Grove North and Plainfield South. Naperville Central comes in fourth.
Homewood-Flossmoor goes fast in the 4 by 100
Homewood-Flossmoor runs strong in the 4 by 100 taking a first place finish. Naperville North’s relay group of Carson Marlar, Nathan Jacobs, Muneeb Shah and Danny Eloe comes in third, setting a new school record in the process, followed by Neuqua Valley in fourth with Tyree Muhammad, Jake Lansdowne, who finished 7th in the 110 hurdles, Tyrek Campbell and Austin Belle.
Zac Close with a good showing in the 3200
Benet Academy with a pair of runners competing in the class 2A 3200 meter race with Finn Richards and Aiden Hulett. Running away with the event is Ethan Hogan from Columbia with a time of 9:02.22, a new 2A State record. Richards crosses the line in 12th while Hulett takes 16th. Great seasons for the Redwing sophomores.
Neuqua Valley’s Zac Close wants a strong performance in the two mile as the pack goes off as the Wildcats are in the top three in the IHSA track and field team standings midway through the day. After the longest race of the day, in the end it’s Evan Horgan from Belvidere North crossing the line first with the top time at nine minutes and five seconds. Close ends his race for the Wildcats coming in 6th place.
Speed is the name of the game
Neuqua Valley’s Austin Belle and Naperville North’s Danny Eloe sprint in the 100 meters but Daniel Lacy from Champaign Centennial edges out everyone at 10.69 seconds. Belle finishes in third and Eloe finishes in sixth.
Foster Shelbert and Griffin Schneid hope to help out teams in the 800
In the 800 we start with Benet Academy’s Griffin Schneid in the class 2A heat. However this race was dominated by Aurora Central Catholic’s Patrick Hilby as wins by a good three seconds. Schneid ends his season with an All-State 8th place finish on the podium.
In the 3A 800 Naperville Central is represented with Foster Shelbert. While he is doing what he can, Dan Watcke from Hinsdale Central gets to the finish line first, inching ahead of Ryan Eddington from Downers Grove North for first place. Shelbert takes the 7th place spot on the podium for the Redhawks
Area well represented in the 4 by 200 Meters
Naperville North, Neuqua and Metea Valley all have runners in the 4 by 2oo meter relay. The Mustangs featuring Shanmukh Chebrolu, Daniel Pere, Darrell Space and Arthur Cox III. However Homewood-Flossmoor again shows its dominance in the race winning yet another relay. North’s runners, Eloe, Marlar, Kai Williams and Jacobs finishes in fifth just ahead of Metea Valley in 6th and Neuqua in 7th. Edward Mason, Rajan Anthony, Daniel Robinson and Austin Belle running for Neuqua.
Austin Belle secures Neuqua’s second place finish
Entering the final races, Neuqua Valley needs a strong performance from Austin Belle in the 200 to secure a team State trophy. The 200 shifts directions because of the wind, but that doesn’t bother Daniel Lacy who wins another fast race. Austin Belle delivers in the clutch, coming in as the runner up, which secures the 2nd place IHSA boys track and field trophy for Neuqua Valley. Another great season for the blue and gold. Homewood-Flossmoor runs away with the 3A championship while Champaign Centennial finishes in 3rd. East St. Louis is the 2A champion while Salt Fork win in class 1A. Naperville Central finishes in 11th place while Naperville North ties for 19th.
Full results of the IHSA State meets can be found on athletic.net.
For more prep sports highlights, visit the Naperville Sports Weekly page!
